And work is exactly what the Falcons needed to do this week to prepare for the Eagles after a horrible loss during week one against the Bears.

I’ve seen many blowouts in the NFL over the past three years. However, i’ve never seen the Falcons get blown out like they did last Sunday. And not just blown out when it came to the score, but blown out in terms of toughness and will to compete. Of course I would never say that my Falcons don’t have the will to compete, but they didn’t show much effort. The Falcons were the only team in week one to not record an offensive touchdown.

But this week is a different circumstance. The Falcons’ offense isn’t going against a defense with almost no faults. And on defense, we’re not competing against an offense that lacks explosiveness. This week two game is quite the opposite in many aspects.

Ladies and Gents, Michael Vick and his Eagles are in town.

Let’s talk about this weekend. The aforementioned Michael Vick is making his return to Atlanta, this time as a starter. He’s facing off against Matty Ice, and this is the first time the two QB’s have both started a game against each other. Michael Vick is once again one of the hottest players in the league right now and he leads a Super Bowl-hopeful team with an explosive offense and a defensive secondary that looks unbeatable on paper.

But the Falcons can beat them. The Falcons were criticized last week for their conservative play-calling that failed to utilize their new explosive offense. But this conservative approach can work against the Eagles defense. The Rams exposed the Eagles’ run defense. And as we know, the Falcons can run. Michael Turner gained 100 yards on 10 carries last week. Jacquizz Rodgers was moved to the #3 RB on the depth chart and he can fly down the field as well. The Eagles’ linebackers are a weak link for them and they may have to bring extra men into the box, which will allow Matt Ryan and his receivers to get open over the top.

On the flip side, the Eagles are very fast on offense and we can not miss tackles like we did last week. The Falcons missed 17 tackles, according to the AJC. We have to contend with Michael Vick, Desean Jackson, and Lesean McCoy, all of which have speed. The good news is that Vick didn’t pass much in the last game, and our improved secondary should be fine against the pass. Our linebackers looked good against the run last week and should match up with McCoy.

Prediction:

It’s tough to make a prediction here, but I’m going to give the edge to the Falcons because of their running game and the Eagles lack of sufficient run defense. If we make clean tackles this week, we’ll slow down their explosiveness.